May 2024

When he first took office, the Russian president was trying to integrate with the West, now the whole ball game has changed Fyodor Lukyanov May 30, 2024 The question of how Russia’s foreign policy will be managed during President Vladimir Putin’s new term seems redundant, if not irrelevant. The head of state is a man who has led the country in one form or another for almost a quarter of a century. He is known for his conservatism – not only in the ideological sense, but also in his aversion to sharp turns. Moreover, Russia is engaged in an intensive military campaign against an international coalition, and there is little point in making plans until it is over, and while its prospects are still unclear. The successful completion of this campaign remains a task of incomparable importance. Nevertheless, it is necessary to reflect on this issue. Firstly, all of the...

  – A communication is submitted today to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), setting forth in detail, through facts and evidence, that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the current president of the European Commission, Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, a national of Germany, is complicit in a number of violations of international humanitarian law, amounting to crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC, committed by the Israeli armed forces (IDF) against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including the Gaza Strip. This communication, endorsed by various human rights groups and prominent academics and experts in international criminal law, calls the Prosecutor to initiate investigations on the basis of the information provided against Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen. The communication documents in detail the fact that Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen personally is criminally responsible and liable for punishment for some...

It is the West that has peaked, not China Published in China Daily Global – 2024-05-20 08:00 TFF recommends that, when you have read this article, you browse China Daily and get a feel for this distinguished newspaper and what to learnfrom it about China and China’s view of the West.This article marks the beginning of a new cooperative effort between TFF, the two authors and Chinese media in both English and Chinese editions, which means a very large readership. More to come. The authorsLi Xing is a Yunshan leading scholar and a distinguished professor at Guangdong Institute for Interna-tional Strategies, and a professor of international relations at Aalborg University, Denmark. Jan Oberg is a former professor and co-founder and director of the independent Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, Sweden. The authors contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do...

John Jiggens May 20, 2023 Imagine being Tony Blinken and facing the arduous responsibility as US Secretary of State to rule the globe! This seems a daunting task, but fortunately, Blinken doesn’t have to strain his brain too much because he has a manual already written to instruct him. Originally published by “Pearls and Irritations” This manual is called The Grand Chessboard. It tutors you to imagine the world as a giant chessboard, and imagine the countries of the world and their people as pieces on that giant chessboard. Countries are seen as pawns in a game like chess, a game of empires. As hegemon the US manipulates the pawns and occasionally strategically sacrifices them to advance its position. As well as pawns, there are some very powerful pieces on the global chessboard and as the US advances through Eurasia, they oppose the US as it pushes into their spheres...

Now his caring daughter needs your help. Johan Galtung – my dear mentor, colleague, TFF Associate and friend over 50 years – died on February 17, this year in Norway, his native country. Sadly, he did not die in a way he – or anybody else for that matter – should have a right to in a humane welfare state, i.e. with the best treatment and with dignity. Over an extended period of time, his daughter, Irene, cared lovingly day and night for him until he was taken away from her home and care against his expressed will. She was met by systematic and difficult obstacles from her surroundings. The fact is that she paid more than money for her noble efforts, and she is now burdened with large lawyer fees she cannot pay. Dag Poleszynski in Oslo is a friend and former peace researcher whom I have known for...

Or how Ukraine will end Western hegemony Glenn Diesen talks with Pascal Lottaz May 16, 2024 In his new book “The Ukraine War and the Eurasian World Order”, Professor Glenn Diesen argues compellingly that the way the world used to work not only for the past century, but for the past 500 years is over and done with. From here on, the global system will be much more dynamic, multi-polar, and much more complex. Professor Diesen also shows how Ukraine has been a pawn in the hands of NATO warmongers who despite their best efforts, however, have not been able to break even one of their strategic rivals in the system. The time of Western impunity is ending. The question is, what comes next? Glenn Diesen is a professor at the University of Southeast Norway and an associate editor at the Journal “Russia in Global Affairs”. Many of you certainly...

Chinese and Western ways of thinking are complementary not mutually exclusive We learn about other cultures mostly through the media and through books, films, travels and personal encounters. All news reports are micro glimpses of a time and place. This challenges us in at least two ways: how do we get a more accurate and holistic perspective of the world, and how can we learn to understand each other across cultural diversity. One way to understand societies is to look for similarities and differences in the ways people think. Or, what is in their general attitude to “others” — are they perceived as a danger, potential friends, “barbaric”, or as someone to be curious about, explore and learn from? Next, do the citizens think in terms of either/or, or both/and? Exclusivity or inclusivity? Continue reading at The China Daily…

1. Israel: The policy’s background As a small country with a tiny population surrounded by large and hostile countries, Israel’s policy ever since its establishment has been to rely on some external forces, the British Empire at the beginning of its creation and later on the American superpower to protect herself. It has also involved the creation of a nuclear arsenal in contravention of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (the NPT) and by means of lies and deception, while being the most vociferous opponent of any other country in the Middle East to even have a peaceful nuclear programme for producing energy. Another aspect of this policy of self-preservation has been to divide and partition the neighbouring countries so that they would lose their advantage of larger size and greater population vis-à-vis Israel. As early as 1982, the Israeli scholar Oded Yinon authored an essay called “A Strategy for Israel in the...